Breaking It Down
Speed Williams
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
Roping has been part of my life as long as I can remember. The story goes that I used to rope my dad’s toes before I could walk. He had a big dog they used to put a small saddle on and I would ride him and rope anything that got in my way. But, in my entire career, never before have I backed in the box where my partner and I could win over half a million dollars like we did at the American Rodeo. I sure hope our sport continues to grow and people get more opportunities to rope or rodeo for that kind of money.
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By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
In recent years the team roping jackpot has become a faster event. This happened by eliminating the hardest part of team roping, the challenge of scoring. I am often asked about the World Series start. It evens the playing field for those who can’t practice every day or get to work on scoring. And it gives them a chance to win something. I tell my clients the World Series barrier is a lot easier on headers and makes it easier to find a head horse. By the same token, you no longer have the luxury of being able to catch and win something. By eliminating the hardest part , times are much faster and there are more qualified times.
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
The last year and a half has been interesting, to say the least. About 18 months ago, I was teaching a school at Chad Havens’ in south Texas. I met a man who’d flown there in his own jet, who wanted to learn to rope and ride. After a few lessons he wanted to hire me full time.
One of the biggest struggles for headers is learning to rope faster. Now days, at most jackpots, the barrier is short and the header just needs to let the steer move before leaving the box. This often positions the header at his steer quicker than he’s ready to rope. How well you ride across the line will dictate how fast you will be able to rope.